“No offense, Mrs. Stone, but you could have given me a heart attack. I mean, really, I’m only fifteen, I’d like to see my sixteenth birthday,” Alex said while holding his hand across his chest.
“Oh, dear, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just trying to let Julia know that I see and know everything she does. I think I’ve made my point. By the way, Alex your mom will be here in ten minutes,” Mom said with a slight smile across her face as she walked out of the room.
“Come on, sit down. I’m really sorry about that, but just feel lucky that it wasn’t my dad,” I said just to remind Alex that my parents don’t play around, especially when it comes to their only daughter.
“So, Julia, how do you like living here? I mean, I know it’s only been a week, but do you like it better than where you are from?”
“It’s okay, I guess. There are two things that I love so far.”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“My new home is pretty awesome compared to my old house back in Ohio. My bedroom here is a lot bigger, I have a walk-in closet, and my bathroom is huge.” I immediately started thinking about taking a bath when Alex left.
“So what’s the second thing you love about being here?” he said, obviously curious.
“Well, not actually love, but I do like, you. You’re a really good friend so far.” I was really trying not to give him the wrong impression or lead him on. I wasn’t really sure if he even liked me that way, but I didn’t want him to develop feelings, and then find out too late that I only like him as a friend.
“Don’t worry, Julia, I get it. We’re just friends,” he said while reaching for my hand.
“Okay, seriously!” I joked while pulling my hand away. “You do understand what
only friends
means, right?” Because if I didn’t know any better, I’d think that you’re not getting what I’m putting out there.”
Alex didn’t say anything for at least a couple of seconds. I was kind of scared that he was upset that I wasn’t interested, but I’d wanted to be completely honest. A moment later he began to laugh so hard I thought he was going to fall off my bed. I was really confused and I didn’t understand what was so flipping funny.
“Relax, Julia, I was just messing with you this whole time. I get what you’re throwing out. If it makes you feel any better, I only like you as a friend too.”
“Alex, your mom’s here,” my mom yelled from the living room.
“Well, it’s time for me to go. Guess I’ll see you in school on Monday, Julia.”
“Yep, but I’ll call you later on if that’s ok?” I said hoping he’d still want me to.
“Sure, that would be good,” Alex said as he reached for his backpack from the floor. I noticed that the expression on his face seemed a little weird as he answered me. I wasn’t sure what had changed within a couple of minutes. Could it have been that I really did hurt his feelings by telling him that I wasn’t into him? Maybe he was just putting up a front. I was hoping that things between us were not going to change. As Alex began to walk out of my room, I thought that maybe I should just ask him, but before I could, he turned back to look at me for a second.
“Julia, I consider you my best friend even though we haven’t known each other that long. I’ve never really connected with anyone like I have with you. I hope you feel the same way. That being said, I want you to know that you can come to me with anything and I’ll always be there for you. Let’s make a promise never to keep anything from each other,” he said while he reached out his hand for me to shake on it.
“I also consider you my best friend, Alex. Back home, I didn’t really have anyone to hang out with and I wasn’t popular so I just stayed to myself. I’m thrilled to have you in my life,” I expressed to him while I shook his hand in return.
Mom called out to us again, “Julia! Alex’s mom is here. Did you hear me?”
“Yes, we’re coming.”
Before Alex left, I had the pleasure of meeting his mom. She stood at least 5’11 with long, black, straight hair and was absolutely beautiful. She kind of reminded me of a younger version of Cher. Of course, I didn’t tell Alex that. He’d probably laugh at me. That night I called Alex and we chatted on the phone until Mom came in my room and told me it was time to get off and get ready for bed. I didn’t even realize how long I’d been on the phone with him. It had been over an hour and it was now too late to even take a quick shower never mind a bath, so I just changed and went to sleep.
Chapter Thirteen
The next morning after eating breakfast, I hung out in my room for a while. I had planned to spend my day reading the next book in The Rose Trilogy, until Mom came in saying that it was a nice day and I should get out for a while. I really had no intention of going anywhere, but I knew she’s just keep nagging me until I went outside for a while to get some fresh air. I decided after getting dressed I could head back to Central Park and just sit under a tree to read for a while. After dumping out my backpack, I put a small blanket, water, and a pack of Ritz crackers in it. I tossed it over my shoulder and headed out.
Once I found the perfect tree to sit under, I took the blanket out and laid it down. The air was a little warmer than it had been in the past week, so it wasn’t that bad. In between reading, I would stop to watch people pass by. I noticed that in the park most people would stroll casually, but on the streets they would rush as if they were going to a fire.
I saw people jogging, power walking, walking their dogs, or pushing their children in strollers. It was quite fascinating to watch. I stayed long enough to read six chapters of my book and then headed home. I didn’t want my parents to think something bad happened to me. I had just one block to go when my phone started to ring. I was hoping it was Alex, but it wasn’t. It was just my mom seeing if I was on my way home.
Once I was home I grabbed clean clothes and jumped in the shower. While we all sat down to eat, Mom asked if I wanted to pop some popcorn and watch a movie with her. Apparently, Dad needed to get some work done before starting his new job on Monday. Mom was always ahead of the game, especially when it came to work. She’s always saying that it is important to be prepared. I’m sure that’s why she’s an excellent lawyer.
“Did you go get a movie, Mom?” I asked wondering when she’d found time to go to the store.
“Yes, I rented one. I made a quick run to the store and while I was there I found one of those machines that allow you to rent a movie for the night. Hey, you can’t beat only paying a dollar for a movie in this economy.” I noticed she was smiling, and was obviously proud of her discovery.
“Well, what did you get? I hope it’s either a comedy or a romance.”
“Actually, I rented a movie called
Taking Chance
with Kevin Bacon. It’s a drama.”
“Really? What made you picked that up? You’re not usually one for drama. Aren’t you the one that said you don’t enjoy watching dramas because you deal with it on a daily basis with your job?” I pointed out in curiosity.
“You’re right, but I picked it up mostly for you. It’s a military movie and I know you like watching those. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but it seemed very touching and is based on real life-events. So don’t worry I know I’ll enjoy it.” I definitely picked up some smugness in her reply.
“Why is that?” I was intrigued to say the least.
“Because Kevin Bacon’s in it and I’m sure he’ll look good in a uniform,” Mom said with a smile on her face that grossed me out.
“Mom, really, that’s just a little TMI.” I was really wishing she never told me that.
“What the heck is TMI?” she asked laughing.
“It means too much information. Now do you get it?”
“Oh, sorry, I’ll try to keep certain things to myself,” Mom said as she winked which made me even more uncomfortable.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy him in movies as well, but I really prefer his wife Kyra Sedgwick in the show
The Closer
. Once dinner was over, Dad headed into his room while Mom and I cleaned up the kitchen and then settled on the couch to watch the movie. Half way through Mom paused the movie, so I could get us both some tissues. I cried more than Mom while watching the movie. We were both so mesmerized with the performance Kevin Bacon gave. The movie was outstanding.
Mom knew what to expect based on the description that the rental machine gave, so she didn’t get as emotional as I did. The movie was so powerful that it even made me realize that my problems are minute compared to our soldiers and the many sacrifices they make.
It was pretty late when the movie ended, so I said goodnight to Mom and headed for bed. The next morning Mom came knocking on my door telling me to get up. I wanted to sleep in knowing it was Sunday, but Mom had made plans for us. Dad needed to get more work done for some big project that was supposed to take place in a couple of months. I wasn’t sure exactly where we were going, so I just threw on some jeans and a shirt. Once I was done trying to look somewhat decent, I met Mom out in the kitchen.
“Are you ready?” Mom asked.
“I guess, but where are we going? Do I need to change or is this all right?” I asked, but assumed that by the way Mom was dressed, what I was wearing was just fine. It was pretty strange to see my mom dressed down and not in business clothes.
“No, you don’t need to change. You’re fine, but you might want to bring a sweater. Where we’re going is a surprise, so you’ll just have to find out when we get there.” She then grabbed her purse and headed toward the door.
Still not knowing where we were heading, I grabbed a sweater out of my closet and followed Mom out the door. On the way, Mom stopped to grab both of us a Java Chocolate Chip Frappuccino from Starbucks. I had never had Starbucks before. This could easily become one of my favorite new drinks, but because of all the calories I would have to make sure I didn’t gain fifty pounds from drinking too many.
As Mom switched lanes to take the next exit, I noticed a sign that read “
Bronx Zoo
.” I kind of had an idea of where she was taking me, but I played as if I didn’t know yet and planned to act surprised when we pulled up. To tell the truth, I actually was kind of surprised. I just assumed she was going to take me to a mall to go shopping. As we approached the entrance at the zoo she turned to look at me. I think she was waiting for me to say something.
I smiled as if I was shocked and said, “Oh, the zoo! Wow! Talk about being surprised.”
Once we were parked, Mom suggested we stop and use the restroom before we started our tour through the zoo. I agreed with her. I thought I was going to burst from drinking all of my Frappuccino. In New York there are a lots of pot holes, so every time Mom hit one that she couldn’t avoid, I thought I was going to pee my pants.
The first thing we did after Mom purchased the tickets was find the restroom. Then we began walking around the zoo. This was the first time I’d ever been to a zoo, so I thought it was neat. Throughout the day I took loads of pictures and by the end, I was beat. My feet were killing me and I couldn’t wait until I got in the car so I could take my shoes off.
When we arrived back home I asked Mom what was the plan for dinner because I was starving. “I’m not sure, Julia, maybe something quick and easy so I can rest my feet.”
I could see that she was struggling to pick up her feet as she climbed the stairs to the house. Luckily, Dad had a surprise for us when we entered the kitchen and it smelled so good.
“Honey, you cooked dinner?” Mom asked in shock seeing Dad never cooked. Quite frankly, I didn’t even realize he could cook.
“Yes, but I’m not sure if it came out all right, so don’t get mad if I jacked it up.” He laughed as he spoke, but I could see that he was actually a little nervous.
“I’m so exhausted. I will eat just about anything and won’t care how jacked up it is,” Mom said as she hugged Dad.